Jacob Kenedy, chef-proprietor of Bocca di Lupo, is a culinary magpie. He may be British, but the menu at his acclaimed Soho restaurant dances effortlessly across Italy: Sardinian lamb prosciutto and Venetian fried eel, rounded off with cinnamon and rice ice cream from Lazio. The source of his inspiration, and the root of his devotion to Italian cuisine, is the lovely Mediterranean resort of Sperlonga, midway between Rome and Naples, where his family have owned an apartment since the 1950s. When his mother first came to visit as a little girl, the town had no running water or electricity, and no local ever swam in the sea by choice.
Kenedy learnt to cook here, at the venerable enamel stove. "And what I really learnt to appreciate was good ingredients," he says, as we set off down the old town's winding stone steps to the shops, with swifts screaming overhead. "I have to come back regularly to remind myself what Italian food should taste like."
We are in the heart of mozzarella country. Until it was drained on the orders of Mussolini, the area was a malarial marsh, and even now, water buffalo seem to find it congenial. So, in the humblest general store, you will find at least three kinds of mozzarella, all vying for the accolade of best in Italy. "Ah, this one really is the best," insists one shopkeeper, loading us up with a bag of white globes the size of melons. "I know the family."
We lug our purchases back up the hill and sit in the cool, shady courtyard, slicing and sampling. One is squeaky between the teeth (a sign, according to Kenedy, of freshness); another is much milkier; a third shreds into creamy rags. They're all delicious, of course. Mozzarella is Kenedy's essential ingredient for a perfect summer lunch. "A good mozzarella is the essence of milkiness," he says. "It's very comforting and sumptuous, but the soft acidity keeps it refreshing. "When I get peckish in the restaurant, I just pick up a ball of mozzarella and eat it like an apple." He pats his waistline ruefully. "That's probably why I'm going a bit pear-shaped myself."
Finding a good mozzarella in the UK isn't so easy. Unless you have an Italian deli nearby, your best bet, he says, is Waitrose. It's hard to improve on perfect simplicity, but Kenedy is keen to flex his culinary muscles. In moments, a feast is on the table: a fresh, flowery pasta, and a rocket salad with broad beans, lemon zest and mozzarella so summery, it brings tears to the eyes.